How many days in Chania? 4 days, from the Venetian harbour to the Samaria Gorge
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Chania is the town that most visitors to western Crete fall for, and then barely see, because the beaches pull them away every morning. Give it four days: one for the old town and its harbour, one for the Akrotiri peninsula, one for a boat to Balos and Gramvousa, and one for the Samaria Gorge, the 16 km walk to the Libyan Sea. Base yourself in town and let the KTEL buses and boats do the driving on the two long days.
Short answer
Three days covers the old town, Balos and either Samaria or Elafonisi. Four days lets you do both big excursions and still have a slow day on Akrotiri, with the monasteries, Stavros beach and the Venizelos graves above the town.
The 4-day plan, day by day
Day 1: The old town and the Venetian harbour
Morning. Walk the Venetian harbour before 9:00, when the quay is still being hosed down. Follow the 1.5 km breakwater out to the lighthouse, rebuilt by the Egyptians in the 1830s, then return past the Firkas fortress, where the Greek flag was raised over Crete in 1913; the Maritime Museum inside costs about €4.
Afternoon. Lose an hour in Topanas, the old Venetian quarter behind the harbour, and on Theotokopoulou Street. Cross to Splantzia square, with the Agios Nikolaos church that still has both a bell tower and a minaret, and walk the leather sellers' lane of Skridlof. The Etz Hayyim synagogue on Kondylaki Street is open most weekdays (donation).
Evening. Swim at Nea Chora, the town beach 10 minutes west of the harbour, and eat fish there or go back to the eastern harbour around the Neoria, the Venetian shipyards. Mezedes with a carafe of raki run €15-25 per person.
The harbour-front restaurants charge more for the view. Two streets back, in Splantzia or around Daliani Street, you eat better for less.
Day 2: Akrotiri: monasteries, Stavros and the Venizelos graves
Morning. Drive or taxi 6 km up to the Venizelos graves on the Profitis Ilias hill for the view over the whole bay. Continue 15 km to Agia Triada (Tzagarolon) monastery, a 17th-century Venetian-style monastery that makes its own olive oil and wine (entry about €3). The road goes on 4 km to Gouverneto monastery, from where a rough path drops in 20-30 minutes to the ruined Katholiko monastery in a ravine.
Afternoon. Swim at Stavros, the shallow lagoon under a bare mountain where the final dance of *Zorba the Greek* was filmed in 1964, or at Marathi on the Souda side. Adventurous swimmers can climb down to Seitan Limania, a narrow fjord-like cove; the path is steep and slippery, so wear proper shoes.
Evening. Back in town, take a table in Splantzia under the plane tree, or walk to the Koum Kapi seafront east of the walls, where locals go for drinks.
Seitan Limania has no shade and fills by 11:00 in summer. Go early, or skip it on windy days, when waves make the entry dangerous.
Day 3: Boat day: Gramvousa and Balos
Morning. Drive or take the bus about 40 km west to Kissamos. Day cruises leave Kissamos port around 10:00-10:30 and return about 18:00; adult tickets are roughly €30-35, plus a small fee for the Balos protected area. The first stop is Imeri Gramvousa, where you climb about 20-30 minutes to the Venetian fortress, once a pirate base.
Afternoon. The boat then anchors off Balos lagoon, the white-sand and turquoise shallows at the tip of the Gramvousa peninsula, for about 2-3 hours. Walk 10 minutes to the viewpoint above for the classic photo. There is little shade, so bring an umbrella.
Evening. Return to Kissamos and eat at the fish tavernas on the old harbour or in the village of Falasarna on the way back, where the long west-facing beach gives one of Crete's best sunsets.
You can also drive the 8 km dirt road to the Balos car park (a small fee is charged at the entrance) and walk down 20-30 minutes, but the climb back up in the afternoon heat is hard. The boat is easier in July and August.
Day 4: The Samaria Gorge
Morning. Take the early KTEL bus from Chania (around 6:00-7:00) to Xyloskalo at Omalos, about 1h15. The gorge path starts at 1,230 metres with a steep wooden-railed descent. The ticket is about €10, and the walk to the coast is roughly 16 km, 4-6 hours. You pass the abandoned village of Samaria halfway, then the Portes, the narrowest point, where the walls close to about 3-4 metres.
Afternoon. Arrive at Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea, swim, and have a late lunch. There is no road out: a ferry runs to Chora Sfakion (about 1 hour) or Sougia, usually leaving in the late afternoon. From Sfakia, buses wait for the boat and take about 2 hours back to Chania.
Evening. Back in town around 20:00-21:00. Eat something simple near the harbour; a sfakiani pita, a thin cheese pie drizzled with honey, is the local reward after the gorge.
The gorge usually opens from 1 May to late October and closes on days of heavy rain or extreme heat. Check the official status the day before, and carry at least 1.5 litres of water; there are springs along the way.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, keep the old town, Balos and Samaria, and fit Stavros beach into the late afternoon of the old-town day. You lose the Akrotiri monasteries.
Got extra days?
A 5th day goes to Elafonisi (about 75 km, 1h30) for the pink-tinged sand and shallow lagoon, ideally via the chestnut villages and the Topolia gorge. Day 6 could be Rethymno (about 1 hour by bus) or a night in Loutro, the car-free village reached only by boat from Chora Sfakion.
Where to stay in Chania
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Nea Chora / around the Agora | Cheaper rooms within 10 minutes' walk of the harbour, close to the KTEL bus station on Kelaidi Street. | €60-100 |
| Mid-range | Old town (Topanas / Splantzia) | Restored Venetian houses inside the walls, everything on foot; no cars in most lanes. | €110-200 |
| Mid-range | Agia Marina / Platanias | Beach hotels 9-12 km west, with frequent buses into town. | €90-180 |
| Comfort | Boutique hotels on the harbour or Chalepa | Harbour-view suites, or quiet neoclassical mansions in the old consular quarter of Chalepa. | €220-450 |
Getting around
The old town is walkable and largely car-free. KTEL Chania-Rethymno buses leave from the station on Kelaidi Street to Omalos (Samaria), Kissamos, Elafonisi in summer, Chora Sfakion and the western beaches; most fares are €2-9. From Chania airport on Akrotiri (about 14 km) a bus runs to town for about €2.50, a taxi costs about €30. Ferries to Piraeus leave from Souda port, 7 km east, usually overnight (about 8-9 hours); check current timetables with the operators. A rental car (€35-60 a day in summer) helps for Akrotiri and Falasarna.
What to eat in Chania
Western Crete eats its own way. Order boureki, a baked layer of courgette, potato and myzithra cheese; kalitsounia, small cheese pies; chochlioi boubouristi, snails fried in olive oil with rosemary and vinegar; and staka, a rich butter cream eaten with eggs or with gamopilafo, the wedding pilaf cooked in meat broth. Dakos, barley rusk with tomato and cheese, comes with almost everything. Lunch at the cross-shaped Agora (the municipal market of 1913) if it is open after its long restoration. A taverna meal with house wine costs €15-25 per person; dessert and a small carafe of tsikoudia (raki) are usually free.
Best time to visit
May, June, September and October: highs of 24-29°C, sea warm from June, and the Samaria Gorge open. July and August reach 32-35°C, with crowds at Balos and Elafonisi. In April the gorge is usually still closed and the White Mountains carry snow. Winter is mild but rainy, a good season for the old town and village food, less so for beaches.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €35 | €70 | €160 |
| Food & drink | €25 | €45 | €85 |
| Sights & tickets | €10 | €25 | €50 |
| Local transport | €10 | €20 | €45 |
| Total per person, per day | about €80 | about €160 | about €340 |
Approximate 2026 prices; the Balos boat and the Samaria day (ticket, buses and ferry, about €40-50 in total) push those two days higher. Greece charges a per-room, per-night climate resilience fee, higher from April to October.
Before you go
Common questions
Is the Samaria Gorge hard?
It is long rather than technical: about 16 km downhill on stony ground, 4-6 hours for most people. The first 2 km are steep and hard on the knees. Wear real walking shoes, start early, and carry water and snacks. If you are unsure, the 'lazy way' walks up from Agia Roumeli to the Portes and back, about 2-3 hours, with no early bus needed.
Balos by boat or by car?
By boat if you want an easy day and the Gramvousa fortress included; the cruise from Kissamos runs about 7-8 hours. By car if you want to arrive before the boats around 12:00 and leave when you like. The 8 km dirt road is passable in a normal car, slowly. The walk back up from the beach takes about 25-30 minutes and is hot after midday.
Do I need a car in Chania?
Not for the old town, Samaria or Balos by boat; buses and organised transfers cover them. A car helps for Akrotiri, Falasarna, Elafonisi at your own pace and the mountain villages. Do not try to drive into the old town: park in the large municipal car parks outside the walls.
How do I get from Chania to Heraklion?
KTEL buses run about every hour in summer and take roughly 2h30-3 hours via Rethymno, for about €15. By car the national road takes around 2 hours. Heraklion airport has more international flights, so some visitors land there and transfer west.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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